Bob Jones wrestlers Jordan Whalen and Gabe Pittman sign scholarships
Jordan Whalen and Gabe Pittman signed in a recent ceremony at the school. Whalen signed with the Lander University Bearcats of Greenwood, S.C. while Pittman inked with the Huntingdon Hawks located in Montgomery.
The son of Kelley and Tabitha Whalen, the 5-foot-8, 145-pound Whalen will study nursing with hopes of becoming a nurse practitioner. He will carry a 3.62 grade point average into the first-year wrestling program at Lander University.
“I began wrestling in the first grade as I actually wanted to box, but my mother didn’t like that idea so she found me wrestling instead, so I stuck with it and love it,” said Whalen, who finished his years at Bob Jones as the third highest career wins with 181. A four-time state qualifier, he placed third in the state at the 145-pound division this season.
“Jordan has been one of the most talented kids in the state since I took the head coaching job,” said Sweatman. “He honed his skills and worked hard during the off season.”
The 6-4, 160-pound Pittman posted 104 career wins at Bob Jones while being a state finalist and runner-up his senior year on the mat. He began wrestling while in the seventh grade at Discovery Middle School and hit his stride in the sport by the ninth grade. “That’s when things went crazy as I took over a varsity spot. I feel good about how I performed as a wrestler as I have realistic expectations as second place was a big deal for me,” added Pittman.
“He improved every year of his career at Bob Jones and was able to end his high school years in the state finals and there’s no doubt he will be successful in his future endeavors,” said Sweatman.
Pittman will enter pre-med studies at the Div. III school with his sights set on becoming a veterinarian. He has a 4.0 grade point average and received a full-ride academic scholarship.
“After a couple years in the sport I thought I could do this for a college education,” said Pittman. “I’m a calculated wrestler. I wait and get a read on my opponents and save my energy for endurance.”
Besides his hard work athletically and academically, Pittman, the son of Brandon and Gail Pittman, was born with Asperger’s syndrome, a developmental disorder that causes some troubles in social interaction and nonverbal communication along with repetitive patterns of behavior. Pittman said, “I went through lots of therapy and took medications at one time. I’m doing much better now.”
“I wrestle what many consider unorthodox as I begin a match walking around my opponent,” said Whalen. “I scope out him and that many times seems to cause them to have a mental block and I take advantage of that. I played football, baseball and hockey, but wrestling was the one for me I had the most fun with.”
“These two have been a huge part of a class that helped bring 100 dual wins, a duals state title and a duals state runner-up to the Bob Jones program,” said Sweatman.
